Game apparatus.



F G. SULTZBACH.-

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED'MAR.17,1914- Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

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I FREDERICK G. SULTZBAOI-I, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 1-7, 1914. Serial No. 825,321.

To all whom it may concern: p r Y Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. S

BACK, a citizen of the United States,'residafford amusement to the players will thoroughly encourage proficiency in the arts and science of spelling and stimulate the de sire to ascertain the meaning of the words formed during the progress of playing the ame. g A further object of the invention is the provision of game apparatus which will be especially interesting and instructive to school children while preparing their lessons and one which may be employed in connection with a primer or instruction book, and the latter used so that the children may readily receive correct constructions and definitions of the words spelled and defined.

vA still further object of the invention is the provision of game apparatus whichwill operate to permanently strengthen the-minds and memory by causing the player while operating the device to make use of the eyes, ears and hands.

With these and other objects'in view, the

invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed. I H

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, showing a number of splints arranged on the playing surface so as to form a simple word; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the device, showing the manner of securing the splints to the board when the device is not in use.

The device consists of a board 1, which may be constructed of any suitable well known material such as cardboard, papiermach, rubber, leather, cloth or woven material, wood fiber, glass cement, gutta-percha, celluloid, tin aluminum, metal or any other composition of matter and suitably formed upon the board are outer rows of fields or fonts of vertical passages 1 and beside each of these passages and formed on the board the following is a specifi-,

- by printing, engrossing, or painting thereon is a'letter of. the alphabet, each of said rows being equal to the entire alphabet, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. Extending parallel with thefirst or other rows of passages are intermediate rows of similar passages 52, which will be hereinafter 'referred'to as the building field or fonts of the structure. The passages 1" and 2 are designed to receive the end of splints as shown in Fig. 1 and according to the selection of 'the' word by the player and in turn of the respective players the splints are adapted to be applied in selected passages upon the playing surface. The lot Patented Feb. 1,1916.

ters of the alphabet along one of the'outer 'rows'of passages 1 are arranged with such regard to the corresponding letters of the alphabet on the other companion rows of numbers 1, so that the passages l'of one row are alined transversely of the board with the mating passages of'theother outer row and also with the passages of the intermediate rows-of passages 2. In thus arranging the letters of the alphabet the transverse rows of passages will possess determined value throughout the entire playing surface of the board. The arrangement is also such that a player occupying a position adjacent to one of the rows will have an unobstructed view of the letters of the alphabet of the roW next adjacent the other player or opponent.

Extending longitudinally over the playing surface of the board is an unequal number of flexible devices, such as strings into which the playing splints may be interwoven and held in place, as shown in Fig. 2 when the game or device is not in use and in this manner the splints may be properly held against loss.

In playing the device a number of the splints are divided equally among the players and at the option of the players it is determined as to the nature or formation of the words to be formed. The five fonts allow the players to choose at will a letter with which to begin the word selected. The playing of the game may be governed by rules so as to cause considerable thinking on part of the players. No word of the same- In selecting words to build 'fi-om,'t he players may select the words or preferred objects and-for instance in the selection of ajsimple word, the first player places one of the splints in any one of the passages 2 forming the building fonts. vThe next player" proceeds to build from the letter or letters previously arranged upon the said building field or fonts. If the first player places one of the splints in a passage in the building field or fonts in line with the letter O, the next player places one'of the splints in one of the'passages in transverse alinement with the letter N, he wouldscore, but the players may continue completing as follows: A simple word may be changed-to the plural as boy to boys or man to men and receive one splint from each player; a simple word may be changed to a compound word, as tin to tin-pan? and scoreand receive one splint from each player. A simple word I may be changed to the opposite-as manto woman and score and receive one splint from each player. i A simple word may be changed to the derivative w0rd,;- as cave to concave and receive one splint from each player, or the player-seeing letters I cave occupied by a corresponding number of splints may complete a word such as excavate and score receiving two splintsfrom each player for prefix and suflix.

j Aword may be challenged by players in turn before the splints are removed, such opportunity should be given the players by inquiring if satisfied, thus giving chance to correct. If correction is not perfected, the next playermay do'so and score. The players challenges are enttiled to proof by con sulting the dictionary. After the-play-er has definitely placed a splint upon the playing surface-he cannotchange or remove the same therefrom except when scoring. The-num her of splints contained in the hand of each player may determine the'winner' of the game. It is desirable that the players insist'on the formation of a record, so as to readily ascertain the words scored and thereby avoid the formation of the same word twice. The player scoring removes all splints of his word or words complete.

A-game' ap 'aaratus'as contemplated in the foregoing will be found extremely useful 'in the development of minds of children; it

isinstructive and amusing and is obviously designed to assist young children. when playing incompetition to each other to increase their vocabulary and to correctly explain the meanings of each of the words.

formed. The scope of the game is such as to arouse enthusiasm in the art of'spelhng,

as the words are built entirely by hand and again written and then defined, the construction and meaning are placed permanently on the memory. For school children it willbe helpful toward familiarizing them in/the construction andmeaning of the words in spelling lessons or otherbranches of study and as previously statedin playing the .game the players make use of aprimer or other book as they are permitted to open the book to choose the necessary classification of words. Such'manner of selecting the words from a classification will also tend to encourage concentration and association and avoid unnecessary confusion arising FREDERICK G; SULTZBACH. Vitnesses: i

WILLIAM J. EBERLY,

A. S.- HERSHEY.

Copies 01' this patent'may be "obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, -Washi-ngton, G. 

